Gadgets 360

When it comes to sensitive subjects like national security, filmmakers often resort to a jingoistic tone. Dramatic speeches, theatrical dialogues, mawkish music and factually incorrect portrayals underpin the story. Thankfully, that's not the case with Netflix's latest original series, IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack, which brings a refreshingly dispassionate approach to genre.

The show takes us back to December 1999, when five terrorists took over the control of an Indian Airlines flight, en route from Kathmandu to Delhi, over an eight-day period. The incident has since gone down in Indian history as a chilling reminder for the unpreparedness of the government, the numerous bureaucratic lapses and painfully long negotiations with terrorists that eventually led to the release of hostages; Anubhav Sinha and Trishant Srivastava's retelling lays it all bare.

Over the six episodes, we witness the chaos and devastation that unfolded, both onboard the plane and on the ground, as the crisis pushed the nation to the brink. From the inception of the hijack plan to its monstrous outcomes, the series firmly establishes the order of events in a gripping fashion. All the episodes are crisp and well-paced and don't waste time beating around the bush. There are no unnecessary tropes or subplots that commercial cinema often heavily relies on.

IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack Review: Perfectly Balanced

Patralekha plays the role of one of the two air hostesses onboard the hijacked IC 814 flight

While films and shows based on actual events and often stand a risk of either information overload that leaves the audience confused and tapped out, or oversimplification that reduces the nuances of history to a Wikipedia page, Sinha has done a fine job of striking a balance between the two with smartly paced voiceovers to provide context. The show is neither boring, like a significant chunk of historical documentaries tend to be, nor does it follow Bollywood's version of utopian politics, where politicians and judges dole out sentimental speeches as moral lessons to criminals.

Even though we are given a lot of information about terrorists, foreign relations and geo-political standoffs, the overall tone never becomes academic. The evenly placed voiceovers give a crisp context of what's happening and why, without overwhelming the audience. They help in forming a dialogue of sorts between the makers of the mini-series and the viewers. While a similar approach was attempted in Imtiaz Ali's Amar Singh Chamkila, it didn't quite work — at least not for me. Thankfully, the biopic's faulty fragmentation is not seen in IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack.

The Netflix original also stays wary of the mono-chromed representation of political goof-ups. We see the crisis management group taking convenient tea breaks as the lives of many hang in the air, and the same group putting its neck on the line to save the day. You'll hear them vouch to help “our people,” and you also see them complain about “too much democracy” in the country. They aren't painted with a singular brush.

The show stands true to the book by Captain Devi Sharan, the pilot of the ill-fated Indian Airlines Flight 814, and incorporates true archival footage, offering an insightful retelling of incidents from the tragedy. We see the then-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee condemning the hijack, wailing families protesting at airports and news anchors reporting the cluelessness of officials.

While in Kandahar, the real IC 814's engine remained continuously on to protect everyone from the biting cold winter nights of Afghanistan

The recreated scenes are remarkably accurate and starkly similar to the original footage, thanks to the meticulous attention to detail with careful positioning, camera angles, and even gestures. There is footage of Jaswant Singh, the then minister of external affairs, talking about the hijack to the media, immediately followed by Pankaj Kapur's – essaying the same role, with Singh's name changed – recreated version. The recreation is beyond impressive with Kapur's convincing diction adding to the scene's overall excellence. Sinha and Shrivastava have, however, made a few changes by swapping out the real names of officials and passengers, likely to protect their privacy and avoid conflict.

IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack Review: Nuanced Portrayal

Naseeruddin Shah and Arvind Swamy plays the cabinet secretary of India and the joint secretary of RAW, respectively, in the show

The series also subverts the usual tropes seen in similar film and TV adaptations. Halfway through the show, there is a scene where we see a terrorist playing antakshari with a group of passengers. In another, we see one offering a light to the captain and comforting a puking air hostess. The depiction of terrorists isn't one-note and is surprisingly nuanced, exploring how humans could behave in adverse and unusual circumstances.

The show also excels at shedding a light on the sheer desperation and hopelessness of the situation. Over 180 passengers and crew were confined to the aircraft for seven days, fearing for their lives and holding on to hope amidst vile conditions. In one particularly unsettling scene, we see a helpless flight attendant clean out a filthy, overflowing toilet when there is no place left in the plane for anyone to relieve themselves. The scene is one of the most impactful sequences from the show and the disturbing imagery is likely to stay with viewers long after the credits roll.

IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack Review: Technical Failings

To prepare for the role, Vijay Verma spent some time with Captain Devi Sharan and visited a pilot training institute

Despite an excellent recreation of the period and an engaging storyline, IC 814 lags significantly on the visual front. While I could still fathom the overall dark tone of the series and excuse it for the creative choice considering the themes, some of the scenes are unwatchable, particularly the ones where the bureaucrats meet. The improper lighting and shoddy edits make the scenes come across as a dream sequence of a colour-blind person, with a ghostly halo effect hovering over the figures.

The colour grading in these scenes is so distracting that it almost interferes with and compromises the gravitas of the storyline. While the high-profile officials are discussing the nation's fate for the years to come and demand undivided attention, I couldn't help but be distracted by Naseeruddin Shah's unnaturally orangish dark circles. The show's visuals would have fared well without these teal and orange-dominated hues.

Another front where technical shortcomings compromised the scene quality was the filming of turbulent IC 814 suspended in the sky. The entire frame is excessively shaky, reminding one of the vintage films where a crew member is possibly shaking sky-painted cardboard in front of a huge camera lens. While I get that the makers intended to bring out a sense of urgency, but a better visual effects job could have easily done the trick.

This is especially disappointing since Sinha has done an otherwise brilliant job with set design and props. We see original Maruti Suzukis, vintage radios, classic briefcases, and even the fashion trends of the 90s.

IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack makes for a compelling genre-bending show, backed by thorough research and accurate recreations of the tragedy

A few technical shortcomings apart, IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack is an outstanding, genre-bending show that has set a new bar for historical adaptations. From its impeccable set designs to remarkable recreations, the Netflix original successfully captures the essence of that time and conveys the horror beyond screens. Sinha's thorough research is evident in each scene and manages to convey the gravitas of the crisis, without overwhelming the viewers with too much information.

IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack raises crucial questions about national security, public safety, and bureaucratic shortcomings, serving as a poignant reminder of the humongous cost that a nation may have to pay even with the slightest of negligence. It creates a sense of urgency, without pointing fingers at anyone. The real question, however, is whether we are prepared to combat something like this now. Is the Kandahar tragedy a lesson hard-learned, or a dark chapter etched in history? While there have been no other airplane hijacks in India since the IC 814, Sinha's show is a timely reminder of identifying and combating systemic weaknesses.

Rating: 8/10

All episodes of IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack are now streaming on Netflix

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When it comes to sensitive subjects like national security, filmmakers often resort to a jingoistic tone. Dramatic speeches, theatrical dialogues, mawkish music and factually incorrect portrayals underpin the story. Thankfully, that's not the case with Netflix's latest original series, IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack, which brings a refreshingly dispassionate approach to genre.

The show takes us back to December 1999, when five terrorists took over the control of an Indian Airlines flight, en route from Kathmandu to Delhi, over an eight-day period. The incident has since gone down in Indian history as a chilling reminder for the unpreparedness of the government, the numerous bureaucratic lapses and painfully long negotiations with terrorists that eventually led to the release of hostages; Anubhav Sinha and Trishant Srivastava's retelling lays it all bare.

Over the six episodes, we witness the chaos and devastation that unfolded, both onboard the plane and on the ground, as the crisis pushed the nation to the brink. From the inception of the hijack plan to its monstrous outcomes, the series firmly establishes the order of events in a gripping fashion. All the episodes are crisp and well-paced and don't waste time beating around the bush. There are no unnecessary tropes or subplots that commercial cinema often heavily relies on.

IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack Review: Perfectly Balanced

Patralekha plays the role of one of the two air hostesses onboard the hijacked IC 814 flight

While films and shows based on actual events and often stand a risk of either information overload that leaves the audience confused and tapped out, or oversimplification that reduces the nuances of history to a Wikipedia page, Sinha has done a fine job of striking a balance between the two with smartly paced voiceovers to provide context. The show is neither boring, like a significant chunk of historical documentaries tend to be, nor does it follow Bollywood's version of utopian politics, where politicians and judges dole out sentimental speeches as moral lessons to criminals.

Even though we are given a lot of information about terrorists, foreign relations and geo-political standoffs, the overall tone never becomes academic. The evenly placed voiceovers give a crisp context of what's happening and why, without overwhelming the audience. They help in forming a dialogue of sorts between the makers of the mini-series and the viewers. While a similar approach was attempted in Imtiaz Ali's Amar Singh Chamkila, it didn't quite work — at least not for me. Thankfully, the biopic's faulty fragmentation is not seen in IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack.

The Netflix original also stays wary of the mono-chromed representation of political goof-ups. We see the crisis management group taking convenient tea breaks as the lives of many hang in the air, and the same group putting its neck on the line to save the day. You'll hear them vouch to help “our people,” and you also see them complain about “too much democracy” in the country. They aren't painted with a singular brush.

The show stands true to the book by Captain Devi Sharan, the pilot of the ill-fated Indian Airlines Flight 814, and incorporates true archival footage, offering an insightful retelling of incidents from the tragedy. We see the then-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee condemning the hijack, wailing families protesting at airports and news anchors reporting the cluelessness of officials.

While in Kandahar, the real IC 814's engine remained continuously on to protect everyone from the biting cold winter nights of Afghanistan

The recreated scenes are remarkably accurate and starkly similar to the original footage, thanks to the meticulous attention to detail with careful positioning, camera angles, and even gestures. There is footage of Jaswant Singh, the then minister of external affairs, talking about the hijack to the media, immediately followed by Pankaj Kapur's – essaying the same role, with Singh's name changed – recreated version. The recreation is beyond impressive with Kapur's convincing diction adding to the scene's overall excellence. Sinha and Shrivastava have, however, made a few changes by swapping out the real names of officials and passengers, likely to protect their privacy and avoid conflict.

IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack Review: Nuanced Portrayal

Naseeruddin Shah and Arvind Swamy plays the cabinet secretary of India and the joint secretary of RAW, respectively, in the show

The series also subverts the usual tropes seen in similar film and TV adaptations. Halfway through the show, there is a scene where we see a terrorist playing antakshari with a group of passengers. In another, we see one offering a light to the captain and comforting a puking air hostess. The depiction of terrorists isn't one-note and is surprisingly nuanced, exploring how humans could behave in adverse and unusual circumstances.

The show also excels at shedding a light on the sheer desperation and hopelessness of the situation. Over 180 passengers and crew were confined to the aircraft for seven days, fearing for their lives and holding on to hope amidst vile conditions. In one particularly unsettling scene, we see a helpless flight attendant clean out a filthy, overflowing toilet when there is no place left in the plane for anyone to relieve themselves. The scene is one of the most impactful sequences from the show and the disturbing imagery is likely to stay with viewers long after the credits roll.

IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack Review: Technical Failings

To prepare for the role, Vijay Verma spent some time with Captain Devi Sharan and visited a pilot training institute

Despite an excellent recreation of the period and an engaging storyline, IC 814 lags significantly on the visual front. While I could still fathom the overall dark tone of the series and excuse it for the creative choice considering the themes, some of the scenes are unwatchable, particularly the ones where the bureaucrats meet. The improper lighting and shoddy edits make the scenes come across as a dream sequence of a colour-blind person, with a ghostly halo effect hovering over the figures.

The colour grading in these scenes is so distracting that it almost interferes with and compromises the gravitas of the storyline. While the high-profile officials are discussing the nation's fate for the years to come and demand undivided attention, I couldn't help but be distracted by Naseeruddin Shah's unnaturally orangish dark circles. The show's visuals would have fared well without these teal and orange-dominated hues.

Another front where technical shortcomings compromised the scene quality was the filming of turbulent IC 814 suspended in the sky. The entire frame is excessively shaky, reminding one of the vintage films where a crew member is possibly shaking sky-painted cardboard in front of a huge camera lens. While I get that the makers intended to bring out a sense of urgency, but a better visual effects job could have easily done the trick.

This is especially disappointing since Sinha has done an otherwise brilliant job with set design and props. We see original Maruti Suzukis, vintage radios, classic briefcases, and even the fashion trends of the 90s.

IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack makes for a compelling genre-bending show, backed by thorough research and accurate recreations of the tragedy

A few technical shortcomings apart, IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack is an outstanding, genre-bending show that has set a new bar for historical adaptations. From its impeccable set designs to remarkable recreations, the Netflix original successfully captures the essence of that time and conveys the horror beyond screens. Sinha's thorough research is evident in each scene and manages to convey the gravitas of the crisis, without overwhelming the viewers with too much information.

IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack raises crucial questions about national security, public safety, and bureaucratic shortcomings, serving as a poignant reminder of the humongous cost that a nation may have to pay even with the slightest of negligence. It creates a sense of urgency, without pointing fingers at anyone. The real question, however, is whether we are prepared to combat something like this now. Is the Kandahar tragedy a lesson hard-learned, or a dark chapter etched in history? While there have been no other airplane hijacks in India since the IC 814, Sinha's show is a timely reminder of identifying and combating systemic weaknesses.

Rating: 8/10

All episodes of IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack are now streaming on Netflix

Gadgets 360

Redmi 14C was launched by the company on Friday. The smartphone arrives as a successor to the Redmi 13C, a budget handset that made its debut in December 2023. The Xiaomi subsidiary has equipped the Redmi 14C with a 6.88-inch LCD screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and a 5,160mAh battery with support for 18W charging. The phone is available in four colour options and features a 50-megapixel primary rear camera and has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner for biometric authentication.

While the company is yet to announce the price of the Redmi 14C, it is reportedly available for purchase in Czechia at CZK 2,999 (roughly Rs. 11,100) for the base model with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, while the 8GB+256GB variant is priced at CZK 3,699 (roughly Rs. 13,700).

Customers will be able to purchase the Redmi 14C in Dreamy Purple, Midnight Black, Sage Green, and Starry Blue colour options. The company has yet to announce plans to launch the handset in India.

Redmi 14C Specifications

The Redmi 14C is a dual-SIM (Nano+Nano) handset that runs on Android 14 with the company's HyperOS skin on top. It sports a 6.88-inch (720x1640 pixels) HD+ LCD screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, 240Hz touch sampling rate, and 450nits peak brightness level. The phone is powered by a MediaTek Helio G81 chipset, paired with up to 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM.

For photos and videos, the Redmi 14C is equipped with a 50-megapixel camera with an f/1.8 aperture. There's a second, unspecified lens on the smartphone. On the front, the handset features a 13-megapixel selfie camera with an f/2.0 aperture.

You get up to 256GB of eMMC 5.1 storage on the Redmi 14C that can be expanded via a MicroSD card slot. Connectivity options include 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.4, dual band Wi-Fi, GPS, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a USB Type-C port. Sensors on board include an ambient light sensor, accelerometer, virtual proximity sensor, and e-compass.

The Redmi 14C is equipped with a 5,160mAh battery and supports 18W fast charging, but the phone doesn't ship with a power adapter. The handset has a side-mounted fingerprint sensor for biometric authentication. It measures 171.88x77.8.8.22mm and its weight can vary between 207g to 211g, depending on the colour option.

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Redmi 14C was launched by the company on Friday. The smartphone arrives as a successor to the Redmi 13C, a budget handset that made its debut in December 2023. The Xiaomi subsidiary has equipped the Redmi 14C with a 6.88-inch LCD screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and a 5,160mAh battery with support for 18W charging. The phone is available in four colour options and features a 50-megapixel primary rear camera and has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner for biometric authentication.

While the company is yet to announce the price of the Redmi 14C, it is reportedly available for purchase in Czechia at CZK 2,999 (roughly Rs. 11,100) for the base model with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, while the 8GB+256GB variant is priced at CZK 3,699 (roughly Rs. 13,700).

Customers will be able to purchase the Redmi 14C in Dreamy Purple, Midnight Black, Sage Green, and Starry Blue colour options. The company has yet to announce plans to launch the handset in India.

Redmi 14C Specifications

The Redmi 14C is a dual-SIM (Nano+Nano) handset that runs on Android 14 with the company's HyperOS skin on top. It sports a 6.88-inch (720x1640 pixels) HD+ LCD screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, 240Hz touch sampling rate, and 450nits peak brightness level. The phone is powered by a MediaTek Helio G81 chipset, paired with up to 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM.

For photos and videos, the Redmi 14C is equipped with a 50-megapixel camera with an f/1.8 aperture. There's a second, unspecified lens on the smartphone. On the front, the handset features a 13-megapixel selfie camera with an f/2.0 aperture.

You get up to 256GB of eMMC 5.1 storage on the Redmi 14C that can be expanded via a MicroSD card slot. Connectivity options include 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.4, dual band Wi-Fi, GPS, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a USB Type-C port. Sensors on board include an ambient light sensor, accelerometer, virtual proximity sensor, and e-compass.

The Redmi 14C is equipped with a 5,160mAh battery and supports 18W fast charging, but the phone doesn't ship with a power adapter. The handset has a side-mounted fingerprint sensor for biometric authentication. It measures 171.88x77.8.8.22mm and its weight can vary between 207g to 211g, depending on the colour option.

Gadgets 360

Brazil's telecommunications regulator said on Friday it was suspending access to Elon Musk's X social network in the country to comply with an order from a judge who has been locked in a months-long feud with the billionaire investor.

The popular social media platform missed a court-imposed deadline on Thursday evening to name a legal representative in Brazil, triggering the suspension.

Musk has argued that Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes was trying to enforce unjustified censorship, while the judge has insisted that social media needs hate speech regulations.

"They're shutting down the #1 source of truth in Brazil," Musk said in a post on X on Friday.

The judge's ruling could cause X to lose one of its largest and most coveted markets, at a time when Musk has struggled with advertising revenue for the platform.

X remained accessible in Brazil late on Friday, though some Brazilians posted on other platforms that their access to X was already being blocked. Three of the country's top telecommunications carriers said they would begin blocking access from midnight (0300 GMT on Saturday), according to a report by local news outlet UOL.

The feud has led to the freezing this week of satellite internet provider Starlink's bank accounts in Brazil. Starlink is a unit of Musk-led rocket company SpaceX.

In his ruling, Moraes ordered that X, formerly Twitter, be suspended in Brazil until it complied with all related court orders, including the payment of more than $3 million in fines, as well as the designation of a local representative, as required by Brazilian law.

Moraes also ordered telecommunications regulator Anatel to implement the suspension order.

The agency told Reuters it is proceeding with compliance, but without specifying a timetable.

To effectively close X in Brazil, telecommunication companies will need to stop carrying the network's traffic, while also preventing users of the site from dodging it by concealing their locations with virtual private networks, or VPNs.

Moraes ordered that those who continued to access X via VPNs be fined up to 50,000 reais ($9,000) per day.

Tech giants Apple and Alphabet's Google were initially instructed to remove X from their app stores and implement so-called anti-VPN obstacles that would make it more difficult for users of Apple's iOS operating system and Google's Android to open the X app on phones or tablets.

But Moraes later reversed that part of his order, saying it would not be needed.

Press offices for Apple and Google declined to comment.

Lapdogs and Dictators? 

Unlike in many other countries, Brazil's Supreme Court judges are able to exercise sweeping powers to make unilateral decisions. But in the dispute over X, Moraes has been backed by a majority of the 11-member court, including Chief Justice Roberto Barroso.

Musk, in addition to owning X and 40% of SpaceX, is the CEO of electric vehicle giant Tesla.

The dispute over X has its roots in a Moraes order from earlier this year that required the platform to block accounts implicated in probes of alleged spreading of distorted news and hate.

Musk denounced the order as censorship. He responded by closing the company's offices in Brazil but ensured the platform was still available in the country.

He has said Starlink would continue to serve Brazilians, including the military, for free "until this matter is resolved."

Earlier on Friday, Starlink asked the Supreme Court to suspend its decision to freeze its local bank accounts, arguing it has complied with all judicial orders. That request was dismissed on Friday evening.

Asked to comment, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva insisted that all businesses operating in the country must comply with their legal obligations.

"Just because a guy has a lot of money doesn't mean he can disrespect" the law, the leftist leader told local radio on Friday.

Musk derided the president as Moraes' "lapdog" in a Thursday post in which he also called the judge a "dictator."

At an event on Friday, Moraes showed no signs of backing down.

"Those who violate democracy, who violate fundamental human rights, whether in person or through social media, must be held accountable," he said.

© Thomson Reuters 2024

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Brazil's telecommunications regulator said on Friday it was suspending access to Elon Musk's X social network in the country to comply with an order from a judge who has been locked in a months-long feud with the billionaire investor.

The popular social media platform missed a court-imposed deadline on Thursday evening to name a legal representative in Brazil, triggering the suspension.

Musk has argued that Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes was trying to enforce unjustified censorship, while the judge has insisted that social media needs hate speech regulations.

"They're shutting down the #1 source of truth in Brazil," Musk said in a post on X on Friday.

The judge's ruling could cause X to lose one of its largest and most coveted markets, at a time when Musk has struggled with advertising revenue for the platform.

X remained accessible in Brazil late on Friday, though some Brazilians posted on other platforms that their access to X was already being blocked. Three of the country's top telecommunications carriers said they would begin blocking access from midnight (0300 GMT on Saturday), according to a report by local news outlet UOL.

The feud has led to the freezing this week of satellite internet provider Starlink's bank accounts in Brazil. Starlink is a unit of Musk-led rocket company SpaceX.

In his ruling, Moraes ordered that X, formerly Twitter, be suspended in Brazil until it complied with all related court orders, including the payment of more than $3 million in fines, as well as the designation of a local representative, as required by Brazilian law.

Moraes also ordered telecommunications regulator Anatel to implement the suspension order.

The agency told Reuters it is proceeding with compliance, but without specifying a timetable.

To effectively close X in Brazil, telecommunication companies will need to stop carrying the network's traffic, while also preventing users of the site from dodging it by concealing their locations with virtual private networks, or VPNs.

Moraes ordered that those who continued to access X via VPNs be fined up to 50,000 reais ($9,000) per day.

Tech giants Apple and Alphabet's Google were initially instructed to remove X from their app stores and implement so-called anti-VPN obstacles that would make it more difficult for users of Apple's iOS operating system and Google's Android to open the X app on phones or tablets.

But Moraes later reversed that part of his order, saying it would not be needed.

Press offices for Apple and Google declined to comment.

Lapdogs and Dictators? 

Unlike in many other countries, Brazil's Supreme Court judges are able to exercise sweeping powers to make unilateral decisions. But in the dispute over X, Moraes has been backed by a majority of the 11-member court, including Chief Justice Roberto Barroso.

Musk, in addition to owning X and 40% of SpaceX, is the CEO of electric vehicle giant Tesla.

The dispute over X has its roots in a Moraes order from earlier this year that required the platform to block accounts implicated in probes of alleged spreading of distorted news and hate.

Musk denounced the order as censorship. He responded by closing the company's offices in Brazil but ensured the platform was still available in the country.

He has said Starlink would continue to serve Brazilians, including the military, for free "until this matter is resolved."

Earlier on Friday, Starlink asked the Supreme Court to suspend its decision to freeze its local bank accounts, arguing it has complied with all judicial orders. That request was dismissed on Friday evening.

Asked to comment, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva insisted that all businesses operating in the country must comply with their legal obligations.

"Just because a guy has a lot of money doesn't mean he can disrespect" the law, the leftist leader told local radio on Friday.

Musk derided the president as Moraes' "lapdog" in a Thursday post in which he also called the judge a "dictator."

At an event on Friday, Moraes showed no signs of backing down.

"Those who violate democracy, who violate fundamental human rights, whether in person or through social media, must be held accountable," he said.

© Thomson Reuters 2024

US swing states in focus: Kamala Harris leads in Nevada, Georgia and other key areas — Is Trump's comeback a pipe dream?

Kamala Harris has gained significant support in the US Presidential race, especially in key swing states. Polls indicate she leads Donald Trump in critical areas, with a 4-point advantage nationally. Swing states are likely to be decisive in the election outcome.

from mint - politics Kamala Harris has gained significant support in the US Presidential race, especially in key swing states. Polls indicate she leads Donald Trump in critical areas, with a 4-point advantage nationally. Swing states are likely to be decisive in the election outcome.

Gadgets 360

Elon Musk and his electric vehicle company Tesla won the dismissal of a federal lawsuit accusing them of defrauding investors by hyping the cryptocurrency Dogecoin and conducting insider trading, causing billions of dollars of losses.

The decision was issued on Thursday night by US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein in Manhattan.

Investors accused the world's richest person of using Twitter posts, a 2021 appearance on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" and other publicity stunts to trade profitably at their expense through several Dogecoin wallets that he or Tesla controlled.

They also said Musk deliberately drove up Dogecoin's price more than 36,000% over two years and then let it crash, with he and Tesla often timing trades to Musk's public statements and activities concerning Dogecoin.

Investors said this included when Musk sold Dogecoin in April 2023 after replacing Twitter's blue bird logo with the Dogecoin Shiba Inu dog logo, causing Dogecoin's price to rise 30 percent

Hellerstein, however, said Musk's tweets that Dogecoin was the future currency of Earth, and could be used to buy Teslas or literally flown to the moon by his company SpaceX were "aspirational and puffery, not factual and susceptible to being falsified."

The judge said that meant no reasonable investor could rely on the tweets to pursue a securities fraud claim. He also said it was "not possible to understand" the investors' market manipulation and insider trading claims.

Hellerstein dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice, meaning it cannot be brought again. Investors originally sought $258 billion (roughly Rs. 20,544 crore) and had amended their complaint four times in two years.

Lawyers for the investors did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Musk's lawyer Alex Spiro said in an emailed statement: "It's a very good day for Dogecoin."

In seeking a dismissal, Musk's lawyers said there was nothing wrong his "innocuous and often silly tweets."

They also said there was no proof Musk owned two wallets for conducting suspicious trading, or that he or Tesla ever sold Dogecoin.

On "Saturday Night Live," Musk called Dogecoin a "hustle" while playing a fictitious financial expert on a segment of "Weekend Update."

Musk bought Twitter in October 2022 and rebranded it X. He is worth $239.3 billion (roughly Rs.18,744 crore) according to Forbes magazine.

The case is Gorog et al v. Musk et al, US District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 22-05037.

© Thomson Reuters 2024

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Elon Musk and his electric vehicle company Tesla won the dismissal of a federal lawsuit accusing them of defrauding investors by hyping the cryptocurrency Dogecoin and conducting insider trading, causing billions of dollars of losses.

The decision was issued on Thursday night by US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein in Manhattan.

Investors accused the world's richest person of using Twitter posts, a 2021 appearance on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" and other publicity stunts to trade profitably at their expense through several Dogecoin wallets that he or Tesla controlled.

They also said Musk deliberately drove up Dogecoin's price more than 36,000% over two years and then let it crash, with he and Tesla often timing trades to Musk's public statements and activities concerning Dogecoin.

Investors said this included when Musk sold Dogecoin in April 2023 after replacing Twitter's blue bird logo with the Dogecoin Shiba Inu dog logo, causing Dogecoin's price to rise 30 percent

Hellerstein, however, said Musk's tweets that Dogecoin was the future currency of Earth, and could be used to buy Teslas or literally flown to the moon by his company SpaceX were "aspirational and puffery, not factual and susceptible to being falsified."

The judge said that meant no reasonable investor could rely on the tweets to pursue a securities fraud claim. He also said it was "not possible to understand" the investors' market manipulation and insider trading claims.

Hellerstein dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice, meaning it cannot be brought again. Investors originally sought $258 billion (roughly Rs. 20,544 crore) and had amended their complaint four times in two years.

Lawyers for the investors did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Musk's lawyer Alex Spiro said in an emailed statement: "It's a very good day for Dogecoin."

In seeking a dismissal, Musk's lawyers said there was nothing wrong his "innocuous and often silly tweets."

They also said there was no proof Musk owned two wallets for conducting suspicious trading, or that he or Tesla ever sold Dogecoin.

On "Saturday Night Live," Musk called Dogecoin a "hustle" while playing a fictitious financial expert on a segment of "Weekend Update."

Musk bought Twitter in October 2022 and rebranded it X. He is worth $239.3 billion (roughly Rs.18,744 crore) according to Forbes magazine.

The case is Gorog et al v. Musk et al, US District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 22-05037.

© Thomson Reuters 2024

Gadgets 360

Motorola Edge 50 Neo was launched in European markets as the latest entrant in the company's Edge 50 series of smartphones. The new handset from the Lenovo-owned brand runs on a MediaTek Dimensity 7300 chipset and features a 50-megapixel Sony Lytia camera. The Motorola Edge 50 Neo has a 6.4-inch LTPO OLED screen which is claimed to deliver up to 3,000nits peak brightness. The latest handset has an IP68 dust ad water resistance rating as well as MIL-STD 810H certification. Motorola has also announced the Edge 50 (previously launched in India) in European markets alongside the Edge 50 Neo.

Motorola Edge 50 Neo, Motorola Edge 50 Price

Motorola Edge 50 Neo price starts at EUR 499 (roughly Rs. 46,000) in Europe. It is confirmed to be available in select markets across Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Oceania in the coming months. It is offered in Pantone Grisaille, Pantone Latte, Pantone Nautical Blue and Pantone Poinciana shades.

The Lenovo-owned smartphone brand has also launched the Motorola Edge 50 in European markets for EUR 599 (roughly Rs. 55,000). It will also roll out in the coming weeks to Latin America, Asia and Oceania markets. The handset is already on sale in India, priced at Rs. 27,999 for the sole 8GB RAM + 256GB RAM and storage model.

Motorola Edge 50 Neo Specifications

Motorola Edge 50 Neo runs on Andorid 14-based Hello UI and sports a 6.4-inch full-HD+ (1,220x2,670 pixels) LTPO pOLED display with up to 120Hz refresh rate, up to 3,000nits peak brightness, and a 300Hz touch sampling rate. It offers support for HDR10+ content and has an SGS Blue Light Reduction certification.

The frame of the Motorola Edge 50 Neo is made of plastic while the screen has Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. It runs on a MediaTek Dimensity 7300 chipset, paired with up to 12GB of RAM and a maximum of 512GB of onboard storage.

For optics, the Motorola Edge 50 Neo is equipped with a triple rear camera unit comprising a 50-megapixel Sony LYT-700C primary sensor, a 13-megapixel ultra-wide angle camera with PDAF, and a 10-megapixel telephoto sensor with up to 3x optical zoom. On the front, the phone has a 32-megapixel selfie shooter.

Connectivity options on the Motorola Edge 50 Neo include 5G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, GPS/A-GPS, and a USB Type-C port. It has an IP68-rated build and MIL-810H military-grade certification. Sensors onboard include an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, e-compass, gyroscope, proximity sensor, and a SAR sensor. The phone has an in-display fingerprint sensor for biometric authentication, along with support for a face unlock feature that uses the front-facing camera. It has stereo dual stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos support.

The Motorola Edge 50 Neo has a 4,310mAh battery with a 68W (bundled) wired changing and 15W wireless charging support. It has stereo dual stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos support. The handset measures 154.1 x 71.2 x 8.1mm and weighs 171 grams.

Motorola Edge 50 Specifications

The Motorola Edge 50 has the same SIM, software, and durability specifications as the Motorola Edge 50 Neo. However, the standard model gets a 6.7-inch 1.5K pOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, 1,900 nits of peak brightness, HDR10+ support, and SGS Blue Light Reduction certification. It runs on a Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 AE (Accelerated Edition) chipset and has a triple rear camera unit led by a 50-megapixel Sony-LYTIA 700C primary sensor. It sports a 32-megapixel front camera and has a 5,000mAh battery with support for 68W wired charging and 15W wireless charging.

 

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Motorola Edge 50 Neo was launched in European markets as the latest entrant in the company's Edge 50 series of smartphones. The new handset from the Lenovo-owned brand runs on a MediaTek Dimensity 7300 chipset and features a 50-megapixel Sony Lytia camera. The Motorola Edge 50 Neo has a 6.4-inch LTPO OLED screen which is claimed to deliver up to 3,000nits peak brightness. The latest handset has an IP68 dust ad water resistance rating as well as MIL-STD 810H certification. Motorola has also announced the Edge 50 (previously launched in India) in European markets alongside the Edge 50 Neo.

Motorola Edge 50 Neo, Motorola Edge 50 Price

Motorola Edge 50 Neo price starts at EUR 499 (roughly Rs. 46,000) in Europe. It is confirmed to be available in select markets across Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Oceania in the coming months. It is offered in Pantone Grisaille, Pantone Latte, Pantone Nautical Blue and Pantone Poinciana shades.

The Lenovo-owned smartphone brand has also launched the Motorola Edge 50 in European markets for EUR 599 (roughly Rs. 55,000). It will also roll out in the coming weeks to Latin America, Asia and Oceania markets. The handset is already on sale in India, priced at Rs. 27,999 for the sole 8GB RAM + 256GB RAM and storage model.

Motorola Edge 50 Neo Specifications

Motorola Edge 50 Neo runs on Andorid 14-based Hello UI and sports a 6.4-inch full-HD+ (1,220x2,670 pixels) LTPO pOLED display with up to 120Hz refresh rate, up to 3,000nits peak brightness, and a 300Hz touch sampling rate. It offers support for HDR10+ content and has an SGS Blue Light Reduction certification.

The frame of the Motorola Edge 50 Neo is made of plastic while the screen has Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. It runs on a MediaTek Dimensity 7300 chipset, paired with up to 12GB of RAM and a maximum of 512GB of onboard storage.

For optics, the Motorola Edge 50 Neo is equipped with a triple rear camera unit comprising a 50-megapixel Sony LYT-700C primary sensor, a 13-megapixel ultra-wide angle camera with PDAF, and a 10-megapixel telephoto sensor with up to 3x optical zoom. On the front, the phone has a 32-megapixel selfie shooter.

Connectivity options on the Motorola Edge 50 Neo include 5G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, GPS/A-GPS, and a USB Type-C port. It has an IP68-rated build and MIL-810H military-grade certification. Sensors onboard include an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, e-compass, gyroscope, proximity sensor, and a SAR sensor. The phone has an in-display fingerprint sensor for biometric authentication, along with support for a face unlock feature that uses the front-facing camera. It has stereo dual stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos support.

The Motorola Edge 50 Neo has a 4,310mAh battery with a 68W (bundled) wired changing and 15W wireless charging support. It has stereo dual stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos support. The handset measures 154.1 x 71.2 x 8.1mm and weighs 171 grams.

Motorola Edge 50 Specifications

The Motorola Edge 50 has the same SIM, software, and durability specifications as the Motorola Edge 50 Neo. However, the standard model gets a 6.7-inch 1.5K pOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, 1,900 nits of peak brightness, HDR10+ support, and SGS Blue Light Reduction certification. It runs on a Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 AE (Accelerated Edition) chipset and has a triple rear camera unit led by a 50-megapixel Sony-LYTIA 700C primary sensor. It sports a 32-megapixel front camera and has a 5,000mAh battery with support for 68W wired charging and 15W wireless charging.

 

Jagathratchakan and the art of juggling politics, business and scams

The Enforcement Directorate’s latest target is a veteran Tamil Nadu politician with interests in nearly two dozen education institutes, hospitality, healthcare, and a couple of distilleries. And he’s no stranger to (alleged) scams.

from mint - politics The Enforcement Directorate’s latest target is a veteran Tamil Nadu politician with interests in nearly two dozen education institutes, hospitality, healthcare, and a couple of distilleries. And he’s no stranger to (alleged) scams.

Gadgets 360

Infinix Zero 40 series was unveiled in select global markets on Thursday. The lineup includes the Infinix Zero 40 5G and the Infinix Zero 40 4G handsets. They are equipped with a 108-megapixel main camera, 50-megapixel front-facing cameras, and a 6.74-inch curved AMOLED display with Corning Gorilla Glass protection. The lineup includes support for GoPro connectivity and is claimed to assist users while creating vlogs. The phones are slated to receive two OS upgrades — up to Android 16 — along with three years of security updates.

Infinix Zero 40 5G, Infinix Zero 40 4G Price

Infinix Zero 40 5G price starts at $399 (roughly Rs. 33,500), while the 4G version begins at $289 (roughly Rs. 24,200). The company notes in the press release that the prices of the handsets will vary by region. 

The handsets have also been launched in Malaysia, where the price of the Infinix Zero 40 5G variant reportedly starts at MYR 1,699 (roughly Rs. 33,000), while the 4G option starts at MYR 1,200 (roughly Rs. 23,300).

The 5G version of the Infinix Zero 40 is available in Moving Titanium, Rock Black and Violet Garden shades. The 4G variant, on the other hand, is offered in Blossom Glow, Misty Aqua, and Rock Black colourways. The company has yet to announce plans to launch the Infinix Zero 40 series in India. 

Infinix Zero 40 5G, Infinix Zero 40 4G Features, Specifications

The Infinix Zero 40 series handsets sport 6.78-inch 3D curved AMOLED displays with up to 144Hz refresh rate, up to 1,300nits peak brightness, Corning Gorilla Glass protection, and a TÜV Rheinland Eye-care Mode certification.

The 5G version of the Infinix Zero 40 series is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 8200 SoC, while the 4G variant carries a MediaTek Helio G100 chipset. The phones support up to 24GB of dynamic RAM (the company is yet to disclose the default memory specifications of the handset) and up to 512GB of onboard storage. Both models run on Android 14-based Infinix UI.

For optics, the Infinix Zero 40 series is equipped with 108-megapixel primary rear cameras alongside 50-megapixel ultra-wide shooters and a 50-megapixel selfie sensor. The phones have a dedicated Vlog Mode that is claimed to assist users with vlog creation.

Both 5G and 4G variants of the lineup have a GoPro mode as well that allows users to connect any GoPro device with the handsets. Users can then manage the paired GoPro device directly from the paired Infinix Zero 40 smartphone and even use the phone's display as a monitor to screen footage. 

The Infinix Zero 40 series is equipped with a 5,000mAh battery. While both handsets support 45W wired fast charging, the 5G version also supports 20W wireless fast charging. These phone also offer support for NFC connectivity and Google's Gemini AI assistant, according to the company.

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Infinix Zero 40 series was unveiled in select global markets on Thursday. The lineup includes the Infinix Zero 40 5G and the Infinix Zero 40 4G handsets. They are equipped with a 108-megapixel main camera, 50-megapixel front-facing cameras, and a 6.74-inch curved AMOLED display with Corning Gorilla Glass protection. The lineup includes support for GoPro connectivity and is claimed to assist users while creating vlogs. The phones are slated to receive two OS upgrades — up to Android 16 — along with three years of security updates.

Infinix Zero 40 5G, Infinix Zero 40 4G Price

Infinix Zero 40 5G price starts at $399 (roughly Rs. 33,500), while the 4G version begins at $289 (roughly Rs. 24,200). The company notes in the press release that the prices of the handsets will vary by region. 

The handsets have also been launched in Malaysia, where the price of the Infinix Zero 40 5G variant reportedly starts at MYR 1,699 (roughly Rs. 33,000), while the 4G option starts at MYR 1,200 (roughly Rs. 23,300).

The 5G version of the Infinix Zero 40 is available in Moving Titanium, Rock Black and Violet Garden shades. The 4G variant, on the other hand, is offered in Blossom Glow, Misty Aqua, and Rock Black colourways. The company has yet to announce plans to launch the Infinix Zero 40 series in India. 

Infinix Zero 40 5G, Infinix Zero 40 4G Features, Specifications

The Infinix Zero 40 series handsets sport 6.78-inch 3D curved AMOLED displays with up to 144Hz refresh rate, up to 1,300nits peak brightness, Corning Gorilla Glass protection, and a TÜV Rheinland Eye-care Mode certification.

The 5G version of the Infinix Zero 40 series is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 8200 SoC, while the 4G variant carries a MediaTek Helio G100 chipset. The phones support up to 24GB of dynamic RAM (the company is yet to disclose the default memory specifications of the handset) and up to 512GB of onboard storage. Both models run on Android 14-based Infinix UI.

For optics, the Infinix Zero 40 series is equipped with 108-megapixel primary rear cameras alongside 50-megapixel ultra-wide shooters and a 50-megapixel selfie sensor. The phones have a dedicated Vlog Mode that is claimed to assist users with vlog creation.

Both 5G and 4G variants of the lineup have a GoPro mode as well that allows users to connect any GoPro device with the handsets. Users can then manage the paired GoPro device directly from the paired Infinix Zero 40 smartphone and even use the phone's display as a monitor to screen footage. 

The Infinix Zero 40 series is equipped with a 5,000mAh battery. While both handsets support 45W wired fast charging, the 5G version also supports 20W wireless fast charging. These phone also offer support for NFC connectivity and Google's Gemini AI assistant, according to the company.

J-K Assembly Polls: EC issues notification for 26 seats voting in phase 2 on September 25. Check full details here

J-K Assembly Polls: The last date for filling nomination papers will be September 5, while scrutiny will be done on September 6, according to the notification. The last day of withdrawing nominations is September 9.

from mint - politics J-K Assembly Polls: The last date for filling nomination papers will be September 5, while scrutiny will be done on September 6, according to the notification. The last day of withdrawing nominations is September 9.

Gadgets 360

Asus was one of the first laptop manufacturers to join the Snapdragon X Elite bandwagon. When Qualcomm announced the new chip for laptops and showed off all of its capabilities, Asus jumped right on board and introduced the Vivobook S15 OLED (S5507). It's the first Vivobook to come with the chipset, and Asus claims impressive performance in a sleek form factor. I spent a couple of days trying out the laptop to find out if the claims were true, and here's what I found out.

Our review unit, which has 16GB RAM and 1TB storage, is priced at Rs. 1,24,990 in the country, and it comes in a Cool Silver colourway.

Asus Vivobook S15 OLED Design: Classy and slim

• Dimensions - 352.6mm (width) x 226.9mm (depth) x 14.7-15.9mm (height)
• Weight - 1.42kg
• Colours - Cool Silver

The new Vivobook S15 OLED looks similar to the Intel Core Ultra model, but you will notice a few changes. It's still a very clean design with minimal styling, which I very much liked. You'll find the new Vivobook logo on the lid and another logo on the bottom bezel of the display. The laptop is 14.7mm at its thinnest, has slightly curved edges, and weighs around 1.42kg. Asus has used an all-metal construction, but you will see some flex on the lid and the keyboard area.

The laptop lid can be opened with one hand

 

The hinges feel durable, aren't wobbly, and support the 180-degree movement. You can also lift the lid easily using one hand. Plenty of ports are available as well. You'll find two USB Type-A ports on the right side, an HDMI 2.1, dual USB Type-C, microSD card slot, and a 3.5mm audio jack on the left side. The rear houses the exhaust vents, and you'll find plenty of intake cutouts at the bottom, along with the dual speaker grilles.

Asus Vivobook S15 OLED Display: Colourful and bright indoors

• Size - 15.6-inch OLED
• Resolution - 3K (2880 x 1620 pixels)
• Refresh rate - 120Hz

Opening the lid reveals a colourful OLED display, which offers 3K resolution, HDR support, and a 120Hz refresh rate with up to 600 nits of brightness. While the display is glossy, it's great for watching content or editing photos, as you get deep blacks and vivid colours. The laptop offers decent brightness indoors, but I'd have liked it to be higher. In outdoor usage, I found the brightness inadequate, mainly because the panel is glossy and reflective.

The hinge lets you lay the laptop flat

 

The display features super-thin bezels on the sides, with the top and bottom bezels also quite thin. Asus also claims the panel is TÜV Rheinland and SGS Eye Case Display certified. The fast refresh rate further makes the display better to look at.

Asus Vivobook S15 OLED Keyboard, Touchpad, speakers, and webcam

• Keyboard - Full-size ErgoSense with one-zone RGB backlight
• Sound - Dual speakers with Dolby Atmos
• Webcam - FHD IR camera with privacy shutter

The Vivobook S15 OLED gets a full-size chiclet keyboard with one-zone RGB backlighting. There's some gap between the keys; they offer 1.7mm of travel. It's a comfortable keyboard to type on. However, I didn't find the backlight too bright despite the keyboard offering three levels of brightness control. The silver-coloured keys are also not very legible during the day. You can change the backlight colour using the MyAsus app. The arrow keys are also quite small, and since this is a Copilot+ PC, you will get a dedicated Copilot key.

The keys offer good travel but aren't very legible due to them being silver

 

Below the keyboard is a large, slightly off-centre touchpad. It supports multi-touch gestures, is smooth to use, and offers good tactile feedback. It's a good touchpad, and I had no complaints whatsoever.

Coming to the audio on the laptop, you get dual downward firing speakers on either side that are Harmon Kardon-certified. They can get loud, but there's not a lot of bass. Vocals are clear, there's no tearing in full volume, and the Dolby Atmos support gives a good surround experience when watching videos and movies.

The manual privacy shutter is nice to have

 

The webcam is a full-HD web camera with a physical privacy shutter, which is nice to have. The webcam array also features an IR sensor for Windows Hello and a microphone. The quality is good in brightly lit rooms for video and photos. However, low-light conditions will bring plenty of noise.

Asus Vivobook S15 OLED Software: Basic with some AI

• OS - Windows 11 Home
• AI features - Copilot, Live Captions, Cocreaetor, Recall
• Other apps - MyAsus

The Vivobook S15 OLED S5507 is a Copilot+ PC, which means that you get access to a few AI features, such as Live Captions, Cocreator, and Windows Studio Effects. Features such as the controversial Recall have yet to roll out, so I didn't get to test them. You also get AI super-resolution that's said to enhance the gaming experience, but I didn't really run any games on the laptop.

Cocreator is a tool in Microsoft Paint that can complete your unfinished art using AI in real-time. It works, but not as well as I expected, but that's probably because of my drawing skills. The Live Captions feature is more useful as it provides real-time captions for all kinds of audio content. Finally, the Windows Studio Effects features are designed to help you have a better video-calling experience.

The laptop runs Windows 11 Home out-of-the-box

 

There aren't many built-in Asus apps. You get the MyAsus app, which you'll need to control various system settings, install firmware upgrades, choose fan profiles, and change keyboard backlighting.

In terms of overall software experience, the ARM platform has a long way to go in terms of app compatibility. While the most commonly used browsers, media players, social apps, editing tools, office tools, and coding programs support ARM, some uncommon apps are still in beta.

Asus Vivobook S15 OLED Performance: Solid

• Processor - Snapdragon X Elite X1E-78-100
• RAM - 16GB LPDDR5X
• Storage - Up to 1TB PCIe 4.0
• Graphics - Qualcomm Adreno GPU

Moving on to performance, the laptop does a good job with most productivity apps, even when running on a balanced power profile. However, opening more than a dozen tabs on Google Chrome resulted in hiccups. I believe this has more to do with the system running out of usable RAM than the Snapdragon X Elite chip. In a full performance profile, the processor can draw up to 50W, which is plenty for running all kinds of productivity apps, editing tools, and streaming apps.

The laptop offers 16GB RAM, but it's not enough for resource-intensive tasks

 

The laptop did get slightly warm to the touch when running a couple of benchmarks, but nothing to put you off from using it. Even when it did get hot, it was mostly the top section of the keyboard around the function row.

Benchmark	Score
Geekbench 6 Single	2,331
Geekbench 6 Multi	13,739
Geekbench AI NPU (Quantized)	21,978
CrossMark	1,103

As you can see, the laptop gets pretty good scores on Geekbench and CrossMark. There are a couple of games that you can play on the ARM chipset, but don't expect much. The fans did not turn on during daily usage, which included using the laptop for work, watching YouTube videos, and some photo editing. However, during heavy usage, the fans did turn on, but they weren't loud enough to distract you. You hear the fans kick into full drive only when you run heavy apps. The inbuilt 1TB storage drive performed well in my tests.

Asus Vivobook S15 OLED Battery: Pretty good

• Capacity - 70 Wh
• Charger - 90W adapter

Great battery life is supposed to be the plus point of using the ARM chipset, and it appears to be true, although it is nothing close to what Asus claims. With normal usage, the laptop easily lasts a full day of work. This is with the brightness set to around 50 percent and the power profile set to balanced. Add in some YouTube and Netflix streaming, and then battery life does drop a little, but you can still call it all-day battery life. What's amazing is the power draw when the laptop is in sleep mode. Thanks to the efficiency of the Snapdragon X Elite chipset, you can close the lid and not have to worry about an insane power draw.

There are four performance profiles available in the MyAsus app

 

The 90W power adaptor also makes charging the battery quick. An hour of charge can offer up to 80 percent battery, with a full charge taking about 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Asus Vivobook S15 OLED Verdict

Here's the thing about the Vivobook S15 OLED S5507 from Asus. Priced at Rs. 1,24,990, the laptop is not cheap, and it competes with laptops such as the Apple Macbook Air 15. While it can give the Apple laptop a battle when it comes to battery life and design, it falls short in the performance category due to being limited to 16GB RAM in India.

However, if performance isn't the most important thing for you and you're going to mainly use this for work that doesn't involve heavy video editing, then this is a great laptop to get. That said, it's not like this laptop can't get things done. There's a nice OLED display that's great for content consumption, the design is a plus, and you also get great battery life. Overall, it's an excellent 15-inch laptop.

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Asus was one of the first laptop manufacturers to join the Snapdragon X Elite bandwagon. When Qualcomm announced the new chip for laptops and showed off all of its capabilities, Asus jumped right on board and introduced the Vivobook S15 OLED (S5507). It's the first Vivobook to come with the chipset, and Asus claims impressive performance in a sleek form factor. I spent a couple of days trying out the laptop to find out if the claims were true, and here's what I found out.

Our review unit, which has 16GB RAM and 1TB storage, is priced at Rs. 1,24,990 in the country, and it comes in a Cool Silver colourway.

Asus Vivobook S15 OLED Design: Classy and slim

• Dimensions - 352.6mm (width) x 226.9mm (depth) x 14.7-15.9mm (height)
• Weight - 1.42kg
• Colours - Cool Silver

The new Vivobook S15 OLED looks similar to the Intel Core Ultra model, but you will notice a few changes. It's still a very clean design with minimal styling, which I very much liked. You'll find the new Vivobook logo on the lid and another logo on the bottom bezel of the display. The laptop is 14.7mm at its thinnest, has slightly curved edges, and weighs around 1.42kg. Asus has used an all-metal construction, but you will see some flex on the lid and the keyboard area.

The laptop lid can be opened with one hand

 

The hinges feel durable, aren't wobbly, and support the 180-degree movement. You can also lift the lid easily using one hand. Plenty of ports are available as well. You'll find two USB Type-A ports on the right side, an HDMI 2.1, dual USB Type-C, microSD card slot, and a 3.5mm audio jack on the left side. The rear houses the exhaust vents, and you'll find plenty of intake cutouts at the bottom, along with the dual speaker grilles.

Asus Vivobook S15 OLED Display: Colourful and bright indoors

• Size - 15.6-inch OLED
• Resolution - 3K (2880 x 1620 pixels)
• Refresh rate - 120Hz

Opening the lid reveals a colourful OLED display, which offers 3K resolution, HDR support, and a 120Hz refresh rate with up to 600 nits of brightness. While the display is glossy, it's great for watching content or editing photos, as you get deep blacks and vivid colours. The laptop offers decent brightness indoors, but I'd have liked it to be higher. In outdoor usage, I found the brightness inadequate, mainly because the panel is glossy and reflective.

The hinge lets you lay the laptop flat

 

The display features super-thin bezels on the sides, with the top and bottom bezels also quite thin. Asus also claims the panel is TÜV Rheinland and SGS Eye Case Display certified. The fast refresh rate further makes the display better to look at.

Asus Vivobook S15 OLED Keyboard, Touchpad, speakers, and webcam

• Keyboard - Full-size ErgoSense with one-zone RGB backlight
• Sound - Dual speakers with Dolby Atmos
• Webcam - FHD IR camera with privacy shutter

The Vivobook S15 OLED gets a full-size chiclet keyboard with one-zone RGB backlighting. There's some gap between the keys; they offer 1.7mm of travel. It's a comfortable keyboard to type on. However, I didn't find the backlight too bright despite the keyboard offering three levels of brightness control. The silver-coloured keys are also not very legible during the day. You can change the backlight colour using the MyAsus app. The arrow keys are also quite small, and since this is a Copilot+ PC, you will get a dedicated Copilot key.

The keys offer good travel but aren't very legible due to them being silver

 

Below the keyboard is a large, slightly off-centre touchpad. It supports multi-touch gestures, is smooth to use, and offers good tactile feedback. It's a good touchpad, and I had no complaints whatsoever.

Coming to the audio on the laptop, you get dual downward firing speakers on either side that are Harmon Kardon-certified. They can get loud, but there's not a lot of bass. Vocals are clear, there's no tearing in full volume, and the Dolby Atmos support gives a good surround experience when watching videos and movies.

The manual privacy shutter is nice to have

 

The webcam is a full-HD web camera with a physical privacy shutter, which is nice to have. The webcam array also features an IR sensor for Windows Hello and a microphone. The quality is good in brightly lit rooms for video and photos. However, low-light conditions will bring plenty of noise.

Asus Vivobook S15 OLED Software: Basic with some AI

• OS - Windows 11 Home
• AI features - Copilot, Live Captions, Cocreaetor, Recall
• Other apps - MyAsus

The Vivobook S15 OLED S5507 is a Copilot+ PC, which means that you get access to a few AI features, such as Live Captions, Cocreator, and Windows Studio Effects. Features such as the controversial Recall have yet to roll out, so I didn't get to test them. You also get AI super-resolution that's said to enhance the gaming experience, but I didn't really run any games on the laptop.

Cocreator is a tool in Microsoft Paint that can complete your unfinished art using AI in real-time. It works, but not as well as I expected, but that's probably because of my drawing skills. The Live Captions feature is more useful as it provides real-time captions for all kinds of audio content. Finally, the Windows Studio Effects features are designed to help you have a better video-calling experience.

The laptop runs Windows 11 Home out-of-the-box

 

There aren't many built-in Asus apps. You get the MyAsus app, which you'll need to control various system settings, install firmware upgrades, choose fan profiles, and change keyboard backlighting.

In terms of overall software experience, the ARM platform has a long way to go in terms of app compatibility. While the most commonly used browsers, media players, social apps, editing tools, office tools, and coding programs support ARM, some uncommon apps are still in beta.

Asus Vivobook S15 OLED Performance: Solid

• Processor - Snapdragon X Elite X1E-78-100
• RAM - 16GB LPDDR5X
• Storage - Up to 1TB PCIe 4.0
• Graphics - Qualcomm Adreno GPU

Moving on to performance, the laptop does a good job with most productivity apps, even when running on a balanced power profile. However, opening more than a dozen tabs on Google Chrome resulted in hiccups. I believe this has more to do with the system running out of usable RAM than the Snapdragon X Elite chip. In a full performance profile, the processor can draw up to 50W, which is plenty for running all kinds of productivity apps, editing tools, and streaming apps.

The laptop offers 16GB RAM, but it's not enough for resource-intensive tasks

 

The laptop did get slightly warm to the touch when running a couple of benchmarks, but nothing to put you off from using it. Even when it did get hot, it was mostly the top section of the keyboard around the function row.

Benchmark	Score
Geekbench 6 Single	2,331
Geekbench 6 Multi	13,739
Geekbench AI NPU (Quantized)	21,978
CrossMark	1,103

As you can see, the laptop gets pretty good scores on Geekbench and CrossMark. There are a couple of games that you can play on the ARM chipset, but don't expect much. The fans did not turn on during daily usage, which included using the laptop for work, watching YouTube videos, and some photo editing. However, during heavy usage, the fans did turn on, but they weren't loud enough to distract you. You hear the fans kick into full drive only when you run heavy apps. The inbuilt 1TB storage drive performed well in my tests.

Asus Vivobook S15 OLED Battery: Pretty good

• Capacity - 70 Wh
• Charger - 90W adapter

Great battery life is supposed to be the plus point of using the ARM chipset, and it appears to be true, although it is nothing close to what Asus claims. With normal usage, the laptop easily lasts a full day of work. This is with the brightness set to around 50 percent and the power profile set to balanced. Add in some YouTube and Netflix streaming, and then battery life does drop a little, but you can still call it all-day battery life. What's amazing is the power draw when the laptop is in sleep mode. Thanks to the efficiency of the Snapdragon X Elite chipset, you can close the lid and not have to worry about an insane power draw.

There are four performance profiles available in the MyAsus app

 

The 90W power adaptor also makes charging the battery quick. An hour of charge can offer up to 80 percent battery, with a full charge taking about 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Asus Vivobook S15 OLED Verdict

Here's the thing about the Vivobook S15 OLED S5507 from Asus. Priced at Rs. 1,24,990, the laptop is not cheap, and it competes with laptops such as the Apple Macbook Air 15. While it can give the Apple laptop a battle when it comes to battery life and design, it falls short in the performance category due to being limited to 16GB RAM in India.

However, if performance isn't the most important thing for you and you're going to mainly use this for work that doesn't involve heavy video editing, then this is a great laptop to get. That said, it's not like this laptop can't get things done. There's a nice OLED display that's great for content consumption, the design is a plus, and you also get great battery life. Overall, it's an excellent 15-inch laptop.

Ghulam Nabi Azad's party in a fix as he steps back from J-K assembly poll campaign. ‘Upto candidates now,’ says ex-CM

DPAP, founded two years ago by the former Congress veteran, has fielded 13 candidates for the first phase of voting in the Union Territory scheduled for September 18. Their fate remains uncertain now.

from mint - politics DPAP, founded two years ago by the former Congress veteran, has fielded 13 candidates for the first phase of voting in the Union Territory scheduled for September 18. Their fate remains uncertain now.

Mehbooba Mufti not to contest Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls; ‘Can’t even file an FIR as CM,' says PDP chief

Mehbooba Mufti's daughter, Iltija Mufti, is making a poll debut by contesting from family stronghold Bijbehara seat in South Kashmir.

from mint - politics Mehbooba Mufti's daughter, Iltija Mufti, is making a poll debut by contesting from family stronghold Bijbehara seat in South Kashmir.

Karnataka: Congress to hold ‘Raj Bhavan Chalo’ march on August 31 to prosecute HD Kumaraswamy

Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar announced a 'Raj Bhavan Chalo' march to demand prosecution of Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy and others in pending cases. The Congress aims to pressure the Governor for action.

from mint - politics Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar announced a 'Raj Bhavan Chalo' march to demand prosecution of Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy and others in pending cases. The Congress aims to pressure the Governor for action.

Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Polls: 279 candidates file nominations for phase 1 voting; 72, highest in Anantnag

Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Polls: Tuesday was the last day for filing nominations for the first phase, which covers assembly segments in the south Kashmir districts and assembly seats in the Chenab valley area of the Jammu region.

from mint - politics Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Polls: Tuesday was the last day for filing nominations for the first phase, which covers assembly segments in the south Kashmir districts and assembly seats in the Chenab valley area of the Jammu region.

Centre to digitize land acquisition process, to set up a dedicated portal, to speed coal mining

The move comes amid a narrowing window for coal mining as the 2070 deadline for India to phase out fossil fuels nears.

from mint - politics The move comes amid a narrowing window for coal mining as the 2070 deadline for India to phase out fossil fuels nears.

Jharkhand News: Ex-CM Champai Soren will join BJP on August 30 in Ranchi, says Himanta Biswa Sarma

Jharkhand News: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is also BJP in-charge of Jharkhand, and Champai Soren met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Monday.

from mint - politics Jharkhand News: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is also BJP in-charge of Jharkhand, and Champai Soren met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Monday.

Gadgets 360

Apple has finally announced the iPhone event date, September 9. The company is expected to make hardware announcements, including the new iPhone 16 series, a new Apple Watch (or Watches if the new Ultra is accompanied) alongside a new Apple AirPods, as per rumours.

The event has a tagline of "It's Glowtime", which could be a reference related to Apple Intelligence. The upcoming iPhone 16 series will be the first from Apple to feature artificial intelligence out-of-the-box.

Notably, recent reports indicated that Apple may keep its event on September 10, but to everyone's surprise, the company announced the launch date a day earlier than expected. The event venue is the Steve Jobs Theater, which will be live-streamed on YouTube. For people planning to watch this launch online can stream it on YouTube at 10:30 PM IST on September 9, 2024. 

 

We're glowing with excitement! Monday, September 9. #AppleEvent pic.twitter.com/QRVyZtqXYA

— Greg Joswiak (@gregjoz) August 26, 2024

Apart from the iPhone 16 series, Apple is expected to make a bunch of announcements, including new Apple Watch models and new AirPods. The company will also finally reveal the availability dates for iOS 18 and other latest software updates. 

Based on rumours, the new iPhone 16 series will include four models - iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. This year, the company is expected to introduce an Action button on all its models, replacing the iconic alert slider on basic iPhones for the first time. Last year, the Action Button was introduced on the Pro models. 

The biggest talk of the town is Apple Intelligence, the company's all-new AI push through its latest-gen hardware. Apple gave a sneak peek into iOS 18 at WWDC, but we can expect the company to share more details at the September 9 event.

from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/LWJzBij

Apple has finally announced the iPhone event date, September 9. The company is expected to make hardware announcements, including the new iPhone 16 series, a new Apple Watch (or Watches if the new Ultra is accompanied) alongside a new Apple AirPods, as per rumours.

The event has a tagline of "It's Glowtime", which could be a reference related to Apple Intelligence. The upcoming iPhone 16 series will be the first from Apple to feature artificial intelligence out-of-the-box.

Notably, recent reports indicated that Apple may keep its event on September 10, but to everyone's surprise, the company announced the launch date a day earlier than expected. The event venue is the Steve Jobs Theater, which will be live-streamed on YouTube. For people planning to watch this launch online can stream it on YouTube at 10:30 PM IST on September 9, 2024. 

 

We're glowing with excitement! Monday, September 9. #AppleEvent pic.twitter.com/QRVyZtqXYA

— Greg Joswiak (@gregjoz) August 26, 2024

Apart from the iPhone 16 series, Apple is expected to make a bunch of announcements, including new Apple Watch models and new AirPods. The company will also finally reveal the availability dates for iOS 18 and other latest software updates. 

Based on rumours, the new iPhone 16 series will include four models - iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max. This year, the company is expected to introduce an Action button on all its models, replacing the iconic alert slider on basic iPhones for the first time. Last year, the Action Button was introduced on the Pro models. 

The biggest talk of the town is Apple Intelligence, the company's all-new AI push through its latest-gen hardware. Apple gave a sneak peek into iOS 18 at WWDC, but we can expect the company to share more details at the September 9 event.

Gadgets 360

For those seeking a smartphone that delivers an exceptional party experience, the OPPO F27 5G emerges as a clear favourite. Loaded with advanced features, this device has been designed to offer an immersive multimedia experience, making it ideal for users who prioritise entertainment. From its elegant halo light design, armour durability and top-notch display to its versatile AI camera system, long-lasting 5000mAh battery and powerful performance, the OPPO F27 5G is truly impressive.

Design That Stands Out

 

The OPPO F27 5G isn't just another smartphone. It's a finely crafted piece of tech. The Halo Light adds another level of excitement, offering customisable lighting effects that sync with your music and notifications. This unique feature will make you the centre of attention at any gathering.

Available in the striking colours of Emerald Green and Amber Orange, this phone is full of style and sophistication. The slim profile measures 7.69mm in Emerald Green and 7.76mm in Amber Orange, and with a weight of only 187g, it's comfortable to hold and use. The flagship Cosmos Ring surrounding the camera adds a luxurious touch, mimicking a high-end timepiece.

But the F27 5G isn't just about aesthetics. It's built to endure the rigours of daily life. The phone uses OPPO's High-strength Alloy Framework, which makes it tough against drops, heat, and corrosion. Inside, the components are protected by a Sponge Bionic Cushioning design to absorb shocks. With an IP64 rating, the F27 5G is resistant to dust and water, so it can handle situations like a beach party or sudden rain. Plus, the OPPO F27 5G received 5 stars in the SGS Performance Multi-Scene Protection Testing, proving it's built to last in different conditions.

Visual Excellence: Vibrant Display

When it comes to entertainment, the display is key, and the OPPO F27 5G delivers with its 120Hz Smart Adaptive Screen. This                6.67-inch screen, with a screen-to-body ratio of 92.2%, offers an immersive viewing experience, making it perfect for gaming and movies.      The screen's peak brightness reaches up to 2100 nits, ensuring clear visibility even under direct sunlight, while the adaptive refresh rate guarantees smooth scrolling and transitions.

The display also features OPPO's Smart Eye Protection, which reduces blue light emissions to protect your eyes during long viewing sessions. Additionally, OPPO's standout feature, Splash Touch technology, ensures that the screen remains responsive, even when it's wet, or your hands are damp, making the F27 5G extremely useful in many situations.

AI Camera System: Capture Every Detail

In its price segment, the OPPO F27 5G stands out as the smartphone with the most AI features. Photography enthusiasts will appreciate the advanced capabilities this phone offers.      Its 50MP main camera and a 2MP portrait lens capture ultra-clear portraits with natural bokeh effects. The 32MP Ultra-Clear Selfie Camera ensures your selfies are always sharp and vibrant, with AI enhancements that automatically adjust exposure and skin tones for the most natural results.

One of the standout features is the AI Eraser 2.0, which allows you to effortlessly remove unwanted elements from your photos. Whether it's a photobomber or a distracting object in the background, the AI Eraser 2.0 does it all to give your images a professional look.

Traditional Glow Theme

 

Disco Style Theme

 

Another exciting feature is AI Studio, which lets you turn your photos into digital avatars or creative profile pictures. There are also two new effects, Disco Style and Traditional Glow, designed for Indian themes, so you can create unique images that stand out from the crowd and are instagrammable too. Also, there's an AI Smart Image Matting 2.0 tool that helps you cut out subjects from photos easily. There's AI Portrait Retouching, which makes sure everyone in your photos looks their best by adjusting skin tones and fixing small details. And the AI Ultra-Clear Imaging System automatically improves your photos, making them as vibrant as possible, even in low light.

Productivity Boost with AI Features

The OPPO F27 5G is not just about entertainment. It also excels in productivity. The AI Toolbox, supported by Google Gemini and Microsoft Azure, is conveniently accessible from the sidebar, offering smart suggestions based on your current activity. Whether you need creative captions for social media posts with AI Writer or quick summaries of long articles with AI Summary or AI Speak to read your content aloud, the AI Toolbox has you covered.

The AI Recording Summary is another standout feature. It converts your voice notes into easy-to-read text summaries. This is particularly useful for students and professionals who need to keep track of important information without the hassle of manual note-taking.

Seamless Connectivity: Stay Connected Anytime, Anywhere

In today's fast-paced world, staying connected is more important than ever. The OPPO F27 5G excels in this area with its advanced connectivity features. The AI LinkBoost, which is supported by a 360-degree Surround Antenna, ensures top-notch signal reception. It automatically switches between antennas to maintain a strong connection, even in challenging environments.

The BeaconLink feature comes to the rescue when network coverage is unavailable. It allows you to stay connected with loved ones via Bluetooth, and with a range of up to 200 meters, BeaconLink assures you're never out of touch.

Performance That Lasts: Storage and Upgrades

The OPPO F27 5G is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 6300 processor, built on 6nm process providing robust performance that easily handles multitasking, gaming, and everyday tasks. With up to 8GB of RAM and 128/256GB of storage, this phone is built to meet all your needs. The Trinity Engine further enhances performance by optimising system smoothness and ensuring efficient use of resources.

One of the most impressive features is the 50-month Fluency Protection, which guarantees smooth performance for over four years of regular use. This ensures a lag-free experience even after years of heavy usage.

Battery & Charging: Always Ready to Go

A reliable battery is essential for an entertainment hub, and the OPPO F27 5G does not disappoint. Its 5000mAh battery provides up to 1.94 days of regular use and can last up to 21 days in standby mode. When it's time to recharge, the 45W SUPERVOOC_TM Flash Charge gets you back to full power in just 71 minutes, ensuring you can continue enjoying your movies and games without interruption.

Party in Your Pocket: The Ultimate Social Experience

The OPPO F27 5G isn't just a phone. It's a party in your pocket. The phone has a Music Party App to sweeten social gatherings, allowing you to sync multiple devices for a surround-sound experience. This feature will turn any event into an unforgettable experience.

For those times when you need extra volume, the 300% Ultra Volume Mode ensures that calls and notifications are loud and clear, even in noisy environments. This feature is perfect for those who love their music, movies, and games.

But the musical experience doesn't stop there. The OPPO F27 5G features dual stereo speakers, delivering sound that's crystal clear. And with Holo Audio, you get an immersive experience where different sounds, like music, a phone call, and navigation instructions, stay separate and don't mix to create a mess. It's like having a portable concert right in your pocket.

Your Perfect Social Companion

In conclusion, the OPPO F27 5G is more than just a smartphone. It's the ultimate social companion that fits perfectly into your lifestyle. With its stylish design, robust durability, and high-quality display, this phone is ready to match your style, whether you're out at a party or catching up with friends. The impressive AI camera system ensures you capture every moment perfectly, and its long-lasting battery keeps you connected no matter what. Whether you're into streaming, gaming, or multimedia creation, the OPPO F27 5G is designed to elevate your enjoyment to the next level.

Price, Availability and Offers:

The OPPO F27 5G is priced at INR 22,999 for the 8GB+128GB variant and 8GB+256GB variant will cost you INR 24,999. The OPPO F27 5G is already up on sale and can be purchased online via Flipkart, Amazon, OPPO e-Store, and mainline retail outlets. Customers can avail various offers while purchasing the device. Buy one for yourself today and get ready for an ultimate party experience.

from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/R9fNYFq

For those seeking a smartphone that delivers an exceptional party experience, the OPPO F27 5G emerges as a clear favourite. Loaded with advanced features, this device has been designed to offer an immersive multimedia experience, making it ideal for users who prioritise entertainment. From its elegant halo light design, armour durability and top-notch display to its versatile AI camera system, long-lasting 5000mAh battery and powerful performance, the OPPO F27 5G is truly impressive.

Design That Stands Out

 

The OPPO F27 5G isn't just another smartphone. It's a finely crafted piece of tech. The Halo Light adds another level of excitement, offering customisable lighting effects that sync with your music and notifications. This unique feature will make you the centre of attention at any gathering.

Available in the striking colours of Emerald Green and Amber Orange, this phone is full of style and sophistication. The slim profile measures 7.69mm in Emerald Green and 7.76mm in Amber Orange, and with a weight of only 187g, it's comfortable to hold and use. The flagship Cosmos Ring surrounding the camera adds a luxurious touch, mimicking a high-end timepiece.

But the F27 5G isn't just about aesthetics. It's built to endure the rigours of daily life. The phone uses OPPO's High-strength Alloy Framework, which makes it tough against drops, heat, and corrosion. Inside, the components are protected by a Sponge Bionic Cushioning design to absorb shocks. With an IP64 rating, the F27 5G is resistant to dust and water, so it can handle situations like a beach party or sudden rain. Plus, the OPPO F27 5G received 5 stars in the SGS Performance Multi-Scene Protection Testing, proving it's built to last in different conditions.

Visual Excellence: Vibrant Display

When it comes to entertainment, the display is key, and the OPPO F27 5G delivers with its 120Hz Smart Adaptive Screen. This                6.67-inch screen, with a screen-to-body ratio of 92.2%, offers an immersive viewing experience, making it perfect for gaming and movies.      The screen's peak brightness reaches up to 2100 nits, ensuring clear visibility even under direct sunlight, while the adaptive refresh rate guarantees smooth scrolling and transitions.

The display also features OPPO's Smart Eye Protection, which reduces blue light emissions to protect your eyes during long viewing sessions. Additionally, OPPO's standout feature, Splash Touch technology, ensures that the screen remains responsive, even when it's wet, or your hands are damp, making the F27 5G extremely useful in many situations.

AI Camera System: Capture Every Detail

In its price segment, the OPPO F27 5G stands out as the smartphone with the most AI features. Photography enthusiasts will appreciate the advanced capabilities this phone offers.      Its 50MP main camera and a 2MP portrait lens capture ultra-clear portraits with natural bokeh effects. The 32MP Ultra-Clear Selfie Camera ensures your selfies are always sharp and vibrant, with AI enhancements that automatically adjust exposure and skin tones for the most natural results.

One of the standout features is the AI Eraser 2.0, which allows you to effortlessly remove unwanted elements from your photos. Whether it's a photobomber or a distracting object in the background, the AI Eraser 2.0 does it all to give your images a professional look.

Traditional Glow Theme

 

Disco Style Theme

 

Another exciting feature is AI Studio, which lets you turn your photos into digital avatars or creative profile pictures. There are also two new effects, Disco Style and Traditional Glow, designed for Indian themes, so you can create unique images that stand out from the crowd and are instagrammable too. Also, there's an AI Smart Image Matting 2.0 tool that helps you cut out subjects from photos easily. There's AI Portrait Retouching, which makes sure everyone in your photos looks their best by adjusting skin tones and fixing small details. And the AI Ultra-Clear Imaging System automatically improves your photos, making them as vibrant as possible, even in low light.

Productivity Boost with AI Features

The OPPO F27 5G is not just about entertainment. It also excels in productivity. The AI Toolbox, supported by Google Gemini and Microsoft Azure, is conveniently accessible from the sidebar, offering smart suggestions based on your current activity. Whether you need creative captions for social media posts with AI Writer or quick summaries of long articles with AI Summary or AI Speak to read your content aloud, the AI Toolbox has you covered.

The AI Recording Summary is another standout feature. It converts your voice notes into easy-to-read text summaries. This is particularly useful for students and professionals who need to keep track of important information without the hassle of manual note-taking.

Seamless Connectivity: Stay Connected Anytime, Anywhere

In today's fast-paced world, staying connected is more important than ever. The OPPO F27 5G excels in this area with its advanced connectivity features. The AI LinkBoost, which is supported by a 360-degree Surround Antenna, ensures top-notch signal reception. It automatically switches between antennas to maintain a strong connection, even in challenging environments.

The BeaconLink feature comes to the rescue when network coverage is unavailable. It allows you to stay connected with loved ones via Bluetooth, and with a range of up to 200 meters, BeaconLink assures you're never out of touch.

Performance That Lasts: Storage and Upgrades

The OPPO F27 5G is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 6300 processor, built on 6nm process providing robust performance that easily handles multitasking, gaming, and everyday tasks. With up to 8GB of RAM and 128/256GB of storage, this phone is built to meet all your needs. The Trinity Engine further enhances performance by optimising system smoothness and ensuring efficient use of resources.

One of the most impressive features is the 50-month Fluency Protection, which guarantees smooth performance for over four years of regular use. This ensures a lag-free experience even after years of heavy usage.

Battery & Charging: Always Ready to Go

A reliable battery is essential for an entertainment hub, and the OPPO F27 5G does not disappoint. Its 5000mAh battery provides up to 1.94 days of regular use and can last up to 21 days in standby mode. When it's time to recharge, the 45W SUPERVOOC_TM Flash Charge gets you back to full power in just 71 minutes, ensuring you can continue enjoying your movies and games without interruption.

Party in Your Pocket: The Ultimate Social Experience

The OPPO F27 5G isn't just a phone. It's a party in your pocket. The phone has a Music Party App to sweeten social gatherings, allowing you to sync multiple devices for a surround-sound experience. This feature will turn any event into an unforgettable experience.

For those times when you need extra volume, the 300% Ultra Volume Mode ensures that calls and notifications are loud and clear, even in noisy environments. This feature is perfect for those who love their music, movies, and games.

But the musical experience doesn't stop there. The OPPO F27 5G features dual stereo speakers, delivering sound that's crystal clear. And with Holo Audio, you get an immersive experience where different sounds, like music, a phone call, and navigation instructions, stay separate and don't mix to create a mess. It's like having a portable concert right in your pocket.

Your Perfect Social Companion

In conclusion, the OPPO F27 5G is more than just a smartphone. It's the ultimate social companion that fits perfectly into your lifestyle. With its stylish design, robust durability, and high-quality display, this phone is ready to match your style, whether you're out at a party or catching up with friends. The impressive AI camera system ensures you capture every moment perfectly, and its long-lasting battery keeps you connected no matter what. Whether you're into streaming, gaming, or multimedia creation, the OPPO F27 5G is designed to elevate your enjoyment to the next level.

Price, Availability and Offers:

The OPPO F27 5G is priced at INR 22,999 for the 8GB+128GB variant and 8GB+256GB variant will cost you INR 24,999. The OPPO F27 5G is already up on sale and can be purchased online via Flipkart, Amazon, OPPO e-Store, and mainline retail outlets. Customers can avail various offers while purchasing the device. Buy one for yourself today and get ready for an ultimate party experience.